We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

What We Were Liars Is About: For once I’m not writing my own synopsis because pretty much I want to give not even an inkling more than I knew going into this book:

A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.The truth.

Why You Should Be Saving The Date for We Were Liars by E. Lockhart:

1. We Were Liars is one of the BEST books I’ve read in a LONG time: I’m not the type of person to proclaim every book to be amazing and the best and on and on because I try to reserve that for the books that REALLY mean a lot to me. I want you to believe me when I say THIS IS A BOOK YOU NEED TO READ. Everyone. I don’t care what you read. So please hear me when I say this: this book is beyond amazing, it blew me away and it is one of the BEST BOOKS I’ve read in a long time. I don’t have a rating system on this blog but I’m letting you know if I did this would be easily 5 stars and I’d try to cobble together more stars because it deserves more. I haven’t had a book really wreck me like this one did but I sobbed and I screamed and this is why I love reading…BOOKS LIKE THIS. A truly remarkable story from start to finish. Especially the finish. When asked what kinds of books I liked to read…this meets A LOT of those things that I listed. It’s just brilliant and my words are just paltry little things that can’t do it any justice.

2. The suspense: There’s something that happens and the main character can’t remember it and that’s pretty much all I’m telling you. GO IN BLIND TO THIS ONE. Please. I knew nothing about it and that made this reading experience the absolute best. Don’t look at anything about this book. You just need to know that the underlying suspense there is to this amazing story will consume you. I read this all in one day because I could NOT put it down.

3. The writing: I love how E. Lockhart writes — it’s smart, brilliant, funny at times, beautiful, heartbreaking. It’s memorable. It’s j a Jamie book through and through especially when it comes to the writing.

4. The Liars: I LOVED the Liars. Oh my god I loved them so hard. I loved learning about their friendship and the intricacies of this old money family. I wish I had a childhood crew like the Liars.

5. BECAUSE: You just have to. You do. This book is special. Truly. It’s different. It’s beautiful. It’s remarkable. I don’t want to hype it up too much because EXPECTATIONS but seriously…I cannot even begin to explain this book.

Who Should Save The Date: Everyone. Listen, I rarely make sweeping “EVERYONE MUST READ THIS” but I’m telling you do it. Read We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. If you start reading it and you tell me, “I don’t think this is for me” I’d normally say “eh just put it down…life is too short” but I’m going to tell you not to even think about putting it down. Seriously, pre-order it. I have NEVER said that on this blog ever.

A Sneak Peek: “It tasted like salt and failure. The bright red shame of being unloved soaked the grass in front of our house, the bricks of the path, the steps to the porch. My heart spasmed among the peonies like a trout.”

(this is taken from the advanced copy I received from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review, and could be subject to change)

Be on the lookout for my FULL review closer to the release date where I will flesh out my thoughts a little more!

Have you read this one? Are you excited for it?? Putting it on your TBR list?

You ever have those shows that just go on and on and you have a love/hate relationship with them but you keep watching anyways? Pretty Little Liars has been that for me for the past 7 years. Sometimes it would start to lose me or make me mad but then it would suck me back in somehow. I can’t deny how addicted I have been to that show — no matter what happened.

As I’m writing this it’s a couple hours before the finale of Pretty Little Liars (have no idea if I will finish it in time to post it before it airs) and I’m just SO sad it’s ending even though I think it DOES need to end. It’s the end of an era and that always makes me sad. It’s always been my favorite twisty teen mystery to watch and scream in misery over as we get one answer for every 50 new questions that pop up. I never did read the books but maybe will someday to see how the diverge but I’ve just always enjoyed having this show to keep me on my toes.

So I figured I would put together a book list for those of you who are going to have that same void needed to be filled now that Pretty Little Liars is OVER. WAH. But the good side to this is…with these books you won’t have to wait 7 years to find out the answers! So that’s a win?

I hope you will leave your own recs of books to fill the void for me in the comments!!

Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas: If you’ve followed this blog for a while you know how much I rave about this mystery. I devoured it from page 1. It is twisty and suspenseful and you will be addicted in this story about a group of friends having the time of their life on Spring Break until one of the girls ends up brutally murdered in their house and the main character ends up being a suspect and being at the center of a murder trial in a different country. SUPER TWISTY LET ME TELL YOU.

Max, his best friend Preston and his girlfriend Parvarti start this business (they call it Liars, Inc) of selling forged permission slips and tests and excuse notes to their classmates. Basically they provide students with cover stories and such. Business is going great and they are making lots of money until Preston asks Max for a cover story of his own to go meet a girl he met online and then nobody hears from him. Soon the police are looking for him and Max seems to be suspect #1.

HMM why don’t I read more mysteries?

I don’t often read a lot of mysteries but I do like them! Every time after I read one I wonder why I don’t read more of them. I love being kept on the edge of my seat and constantly guessing who did it or what is going on. It’s so fun! (I also really loved Nancy Drew and Clue as a kid). Liars, Inc. definitely kept me on my toes with its twists and turns. I guessed right quite a bit before it was revealed but I was impressed with the way the clues were laid out and loved waiting to see if my suspicions were right. It was definitely an explosive ending.

I seriously could not stop reading it. Paula Stokes hooked me from the beginning — like the first page which is always a welcome feeling to just feel like you are going headfirst right into the tangly web. And after that strong start I was just devouring it because I had to know what was going on. The circumstances were so fishy around Preston’s disappearance and it was so frustrating that it looked like Max was being framed. Every time something made him look like suspect #1 I was like just like NO NO NO. This story was full of tangled webs and lies. LOTS OF LIES. Lies that started everything, lies that keep it all going.

There was a romance in this book. It was important to the story but I can’t say I really had many feelings either way towards it. I was more interested in the twists and the turn which the romance did factor into it in ways.

Overall, I enjoyed the ride and the characters though, I feel like, because I’m such a character-driven reader that I never fall in love with mysteries or their characters as much as I do other kinds of books. That’s not to say in SOME mysteries I don’t but that always seems to be my deal with most. I think? But sometimes I also read mysteries for different reasons than I read other genres so that’s okay? Anyways, I will say I thought the characters to be very well written compared to a lot mysteries I read so YAY.

Re-readability: NoWould I buy a copy for my collection? No, not personally because it’s not a favorite or one I would re-read. I tend to borrow rather than buy mysteries.

YA readers who like mysteries, people wanting a quick read that will be HARD to put down, readers who are newer to mysteries (I think if you read A LOT of them it’s not WOW enough to be honest), fans of Dangerous Girls looking for more like that (though I rated DG higher for sure)

Liars, Inc was a twisty, turny mystery that I gobbled right up. Intriguing premise and characters and full of tangled webs and lies. Reminded me how much I love reading mysteries!

* Have you read this one? What did you think? Similar or different from me? I would LOVE to hear regardless!
*If you haven’t read it, does it feel like something you’d be into?

Did you guess what was going on (if talking spoilers, which I would LOVE to do with you, please mark them in the comments)?

What did you think of the whole Max and Parvarti situation?

Do you have any recs for good YA mysteries? The more crazy and twisty the better!

The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski: If you like fantasy, get this. If you don’t like fantasy, get this. It’s a really good series for people who aren’t really into magic-y kind of stuff. AND THE ROMANCE. THE WORDS. YOU GUYS. (and the sequel is soooo good).

Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson: Another major WIN for me with Morgan Matson. If you like contemporary YA (think: Sarah Dessen) and like reading about friendships and finding yourself, GET ON THIS.

Life By Committee by Corey Ann Haydu: Definitely the most underrated on my list! It was so thought-provoking and challenged me as a reader. Loved the plot, loved the main character (even when she was hard to like!).

After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid: I want to give this to all my married friends basically! And everyone really. It personally made me think SOOOO much about my own marriage.

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas: This is a third book in a series so if you haven’t read the first (Throne of Glass) make that your 2015 New Years Resolution. THIS BOOK. THIS SERIES. It’s an all time favorite.

Landline by Rainbow Rowell: Rainbow’s books just work for me so much! This also made me think a lot about my marriage and relationships. I read this before I read After I Do but they had very similar kind of themes.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel: If you don’t like typical dystopian /post apocalyptic books, this is for you. It’s very realistic but goes back and forth between the before/during the flu outbreak/twenty years with those who had survived. IT WAS AMAZING. Easily top 3 of the year for me!

The Young Elites by Marie Lu: I COULD NOT PUT THIS DOWN. Marie Lu has created an amazing start to a new fantasy series and I want to cry about the wait until next year for book 2.

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han: I loved this book so much. If you are into lighter contemporary YA and love sister relationships being explored in your books, get on it. It’s a duology and you have no idea how bad I need book 2.

For those of you who follow me on Twitter or Instagram you may know that this past weekend I went to ALA Midwinter (American Library Association) because it was in my city. I figured I would share a little bit about my experience and let you know what books I brought home with me. There are some really excellent sounding upcoming releases! So let’s do this..

“But you aren’t a librarian…how did you attend?”

You would be correct. I am not a librarian (god, I would love to be) but ALA does allow other people (such as bloggers) to attend. I am so, so thankful to be allowed to go as a guest to this convention and get a taste of another facet of the wonderful book world.

“What did you do?”

Well, after an awesome cappuccino and chocolate croissant I moseyed on over to the convention center. Gotta start your day off right.

On the floor there were booths for different publishers, bookish things and a lot of library resources and technology. It was like the mecca for all things book nerdy. My 2 days involved:

1. Walking around to the various booths (totally sensory overload at first), talking to the various publishing representatives, learning what titles they were really pushing and figuring out which ARCs I wanted to take home with me. I knew of MOST of the titles just because I always creep the catalogs but there was some terrific hand selling going on because some of the publishers sold me on books I had never heard of before. I loved talking to them about their past releases I loved and which new releases they were excited about. It was also fun to put faces to names of people I hadn’t met yet! But seriously..walking around those aisles, with all those books everywhere, just made me want to prance around making up songs about how much I love books.

Snagged me some pins from Rainbow Rowell

2. Meeting authors/seeing them again & chatting with them: I got to see Rainbow Rowell again and meet Matthew Quick for the first time. I even snagged E. Lockhart when she was walking in the aisle for a picture and a quick (embarrassing) gush fest about how much I loved We Were Liars. It was also super cool because I randomly ran into Leila Sales (love her + LOOOVED This Song Will Save Your Life), Tiffany Schmidt, and OH YOU KNOW…just got to shoot the shit with DAVID LEVITHAN. As one does.

E. Lockhart & I!

3. Hanging out with/meeting other bloggers! It’s always nice to see fellow bloggers again and meet others for the first time! That’s honestly my favorite part of these things. Everyone was so lovely and I wish we had even more time to hang out but it was fun to hang out with them and talk books, battle the crowds at Reading Terminal Market, wait in the Rainbow Rowell line etc.

On Sunday night I went to my favorite indie bookstore in the Philly area (Children’s Book World) and saw Rainbow Rowell, David Levithan and Lucy Christopher and it was an AWESOME event and super packed. Few things: 1. Rainbow and David are hilarious together. 2. I teared up listening to David read from Two Boys Kissing 3. David reading and acting out a scene from Fangirl is hilarious. 4. Rainbow read a page from LANDLINE!! I need it. 5. Rainbow started crying while reading that page and I love her even more. 6. Lucy Christopher is the cutest human being ever and after listening to her read from The Killing Woods I can’t wait to pick it up.

Book club loves Rainbow!!

I couldn’t go to the things happening on Monday but I listened to the Youth Media Awards live streaming. Can’t wait to pick up some of those books that won! Have you read any of them? Also, was very happy for Rainbow Rowell and David Levithan getting some love for their wonderful novels!

“How is ALAMW different from BEA (Book Expo of America)?”

Edit: I had a great comment that told me that ALAMW is even different from ALA Annual (which I’ve never been) this is her insight, “If you haven’t attended the summer Annual Conference, you should know that there is a big difference between the experience. The Midwinter Meetings is primarily a working conference, mostly meetings rather than programs and PD sessions. The summer Annual Conference is the one that publishers bring authors to for signings and events and there are long lines at the booths for the various signings. The exhibits are larger and the award ceremonies take place so you can register to attend the Printz Awards or the Newbery/Caldecott Award dinner for instance (or you can skip the dinner and sit in the back after dinner and listen to the speeches for free). It is still different from BEA, but much busier and with more opportunities than Midwinter.”

+ Well, obviously it was more so geared towards librarians. Even most of the people working the booths for the publishers were more on the school and library side of marketing so there were less familiar faces. There were less booths for me to check out because over half of it was specifically library type resources and technology (because obviously it’s a librarian convention). I saw a cool library vending machine thing though. This also meant, for me, acting like a guest and only taking what I knew I would have time to read because, while the publishers were HAPPY to give them to bloggers, I wanted to leave the things I wasn’t sure about/knew I might not have time to read for the librarians. That last comment, for the record, has nothing to do with anything anybody else did/does. It’s just a personal thing with how I went into this for myself. Also, I still have BEA guilt from my first BEA where I took too many books and still some sit unread.

+ There were less people & I thought the whole vibe was way more calm. I really felt like I wasn’t crowded at any booth I went to and actually had time to talk to people at the booths. I wasn’t constantly feeling like I was bumping into people. It was just very calm and pleasant. The swarm of people was just not as much especially when books were put out. At BEA you can get trampled & I didn’t feel that way here. When a book drop happens at BEA, those books are gone so quickly. I would see some books still out at ALA when I walked past again.

+ There were definitely more books available at the booths. At BEA there were really stringent drops of books it felt like and not many just freely handed out. ALA was different in that regard I think. Even huge titles that would have been gone in 2 seconds at BEA were there an hour later.

+ I got quality chatting time with publishers. One of my most favorite things is actually TALKING to the people manning the booths and telling them titles I loved from them recently and hearing what they are excited about. At BEA it’s so busy and they don’t get as much time to talk to you but ALA was totally different so it was definitely a huge thing that I LOVED about ALA. Met some really wonderful people!

+ There were less signings. The only two signings I went to were for Matthew Quick and Rainbow Rowell. At BEA there is a huge area with a ton of signings lines and signings scheduled all day. There isn’t that at ALA. So at BEA you might split your time between the floor and then be sitting in signing lines but there were barely any and there isn’t a designated spot like at BEA. So, I had a lot more wandering time than I do at BEA which was a good and bad thing. I felt less stressed about getting to the signing line and being super structured but I definitely love meeting authors so I missed that here plus there was a little toooo much free time.

+ Obviously at BEA there are way more events going on at the same time so I would just kind of go to the conference and then come home. At BEA I was never in the hotel room because there is always some sort of party or signing or event of some sort going on! But again, this is more of a professional development kind of convention so it made sense.

The Chapel Wars by Lindsey Leavitt: I really enjoyed Going Vintage by this author. It was really cute and fun but still gave some food for thought. This one sounds cute + love that, like Going Vintage, this has familial relationships as a focus.

Far From You by Tessa Sharpe: This one was another on my most anticipated debuts of 2014 list! I love me a good mystery and this sounds like one! It seems twisty and complicated as the MC, who is sort of blamed for the death of her best friend, comes home from rehab and realizes everyone is looking at the wrong things to solve her friend’s murder.

Let’s Get Lost by Adi Alsaid: Another pick from my most anticipated debuts of 2014 list!! This was high on my priority list and I was so happy to see it there! Road trip! Some sort of intrigue and mystery that is alluded to!

Day 2

Half Bad by Sally Green: This one was on my most anticipated debuts for 2014 list so I’m super stoked to have it in my hands. WITCHES. The more I hear about it, the more I can’t wait to read it! I don’t read paranormal often but it seems like my kind of paranormal.

The Summer of Letting Go by Gae Polisner: The lady at the booth sold me on this one as I had never heard of it. It’s about a girl whose little brother drowns and she basically stops living until she meets a little boy who she swears is her brother’s reincarnation. Sounds heartbreaking.

Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith: This sounds like the strangest book I have ever heard of and I’m not even clear as to what it is about but it sound irreverent and awesome!

The Secret Sky by Ati Abawi: I said in my reading wishlist post that I SOOOO wanted books set in different countries and NOT from an American perspective and as soon as the rep from Penguin started telling me about this one and how it is set in Afghanistan I was SOLD. SO SOLD. I think I scared her with my excitement.

The Storied Life of A.J Fickry by Gabrielle Zevin: I was speaking with the lady at the booth about another book and she pulled this one out and coincidentally I’m listening to another book from this author right now. She said this was an adult one but definitely has crossover appeal.

Prince of Venice Beach by Blake Nelson: This one has been on my radar for a bit so I was pleasantly surprised to see it there! Love that it’s a male perspective and there are runaway teens involved because I haven’t really read anything with that.

So that was my ALA experience! Let me know if you learned about any books from what I got + if you are excited about any of the ones I picked up! Let me know if you have any questions about ALA or my experience!

Janie and Micah have been friends since they were young — but mostly in secret and especially at their high school where they act like they don’t even know each other. They are mostly opposites in every way but their secret always just seemed to work and was always an adventure. But then something happens one night and Micah can’t remember anything surrounding the night of a party and Janie won’t answer his texts or calls as he struggles to remember and put the pieces together while the cops keep asking him questions.

NEED TIME TO PROCESS…..

Have you ever finished a book and legitimately not know whether you liked it or not?? That’s how I feel with this one. Amy Zhang’s debut, Falling Into Place, was a book I raaaaaved and raved about the year it was published and I was so excited to see what Amy Zhang would do next.

Mosquitoland: My movie tastes tend to lie with the quirky indie films and this book just screams that. I NEED MIM TO COME ALIVE ON SCREEN. And David already chatted soundtrack with me and GAH IT WOULD BE THE MOST DARLING INDIE GEM.

Extraordinary Means: Another book I see being a little indie darling film. I just think the concept of this book could be really interesting on film.

We Were Liars: I don’t want to say too much but IDK I THINK THIS COULD BE INTERESTING.

Things We Know By Heart: I can just see this being an adorbs teen romance movie! Plus the setting would be GORGEOUS on film.

This Song Will Save Your Life: I think this could be super cool as a movie. Again, because apparently I’m a pretentious movie water, I just see this as a super cool indie flick. The music would come alive and so would the fashion! But I mean, I guess I could also see this as a mainstream film too. (OMG I SWEAR I AM NOT THIS PRETENTIOUS. I JUST SEE IT IN MY HEAD A CERTAIN WAY).

So tell me…what books do you think would make great movies/tv shows? Do you agree with any of mine? Disagree??

When Charlotte finds herself becoming friends with Julia Buchanan — daughter of a former senator and famously rich family with a tragedy attached to their name — she never could be prepared for the real Julia and everything that comes with being a Buchanan. She’s thrown head first into their intense and mesmerizing world as Julia’s new best friend — the parties, the lavish gifts, the larger than life family (and a certain brother she falls for)….and also the secrets below the surface that threaten to unravel them all.

OMG I LOVE THIS BOOOOOOK. *tweets incessantly about it*

OH MY GOSH YOU GUYS. I loved this book. I freaking loved it and I want to shout it from the rooftops. If you like contemporary YA, you do NOT want to miss this one. My emotions were just overflowing by the end of this book and the last paragraph-ish was EVERYTHING for me. I kind of wanted to tattoo it on my arm.

1. This story staked its claim on me by the first sentence of the prologue: I’m serious. By the time I finished the prologue I was doing a little excited dance on my couch and was strapping myself in because I was READY TO GO after that and I knew I couldn’t possibly prepare myself for what was to come (spoiler alert: I couldn’t at all). I was already so curious about the Buchanan family (who slightly reminded me of the family in We Were Liars as I read on) and, like Charlie, I became so mesmerized and enchanted by them. From the moment Julia and Charlie meet and as she gets deeper into the Buchanan family I wanted to know more and more even when certain things began to seem like red flags and she got so wrapped up in them. I got the same electric energy that Charlie felt by wanting to be around them. There was that allure there to be part of this world that was so unlike her world and I felt it. I get wanting to just be a part of something.

2. THE EMOTIONS: You guys. I bawled at the end of this book. The feelings throughout the book had been bubbling up and just burst forth in the form of tears and it was an obvious reason to cry for me. And the last paragraph. IT WAS EVERYTHING and more. I want to share it but I want you to experience it. It was a rollercoaster of feelings (and not just crying kinds of feelings) and it just, coupled with the plot, propelled me forward. The romance. The intensity of their friendship. The tragedy. The aftermaths. It was SO GOOD GUYS.

3. DOGEAR CENTRAL: I was really, really impressed by the writing in this book. It was so beautiful and there were so many lines that just stopped me in my tracks and made me think or FEEL something. I was dog-earring A LOT with this one which is always a good thing for me. The more I dog-ear, the more I love it. I’ll give you a little taste:

” It’s only in hindsight that we can point, as easily as finding a town on a map, to the moments that shaped us — the moments when choices between yeses and nos determined the people we became.”

+ Plot, writing, characters, FEELINGS– NADA

Re-readability: Maybe!Would I buy a copy for my collection? Yes!

There are just these books that you can somewhat pinpoint elements that made you love it but overall it’s just this indescribable feeling you get when you are reading that just takes hold of you and sets your heart to beating just a little bit differently. That was this book for me. I can kind of explain to you why I loved it but mostly I can’t. I just know how I felt about it. Chelsey Philpot’s debut was wholly impressive — it was beautiful, enchanting, devastating and altogether bittersweet. A true smattering of emotions but I finished the book hopeful and with my heart on fire.

* Have you read this one? What did you think? Similar or different from me? I would LOVE to hear regardless!
*If you haven’t read it, does it feel like something you’d be into?
*

4. Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch: Been really digging fantasy so we’ll try a new release! A kingdom is conquered, its people are enslaved and magic is taken away. Until there is talk of a way to get the magic back!

5. Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future by AS King: A.S King is a brilliant writer and this one sounds so goooood. The main character develops the ability to see the infinite past and future — and the future looks AWFUL for the world. She doesn’t want this future to come true so she tries to figure out HOW to make sure it doesn’t.

6. Even In Paradise by Chelsey Philpot: This books just screams a Jamie book amirite? A girl becomes friends with the former senator’s daughter when she shows up as the new girl in school. She’s thrown into Julia’s world and sparks fly with Julia’s brother. Also, A SECRET TRAGEDY.

10. Twisted Fate by Norah Olson: The new boy next door brings very differing feelings to these two sisters — one crushes on him and one thinks his mysterious ways screams psychopath and tries to protect her sister. She finds herself drawn to him too and simultaneously right and wrong about the things she thinks about him. Says for fans of We Were Liars & Mara Dyer soooo YAY.

So tell me…what books are at the TOP of your list to read for the Fall? What book do you think should be my priority??

I also had a LOT of authors that I had like 2 or 3 books from! Especially because a lot of the authors I read just got published in the last couple years so that’s all they have out. Plus I have some trilogies (Cynthia Hand, Tahereh Mafi, etc). Also, I wanted to take a real live picture of these books but I realized A LOT of them are out on loan haha.

E. Lockhart: I own the whole whole Ruby Oliver series which I have NOT YET READ. Major fail. I still don’t own a copy of We Were Liars and I listened to Frankie Landau-Banks on audio but I feel like I might buy a copy soon.

David Levithan: In doing this I realized I don’t own a copy of Every Day which WUT WHY NOT? But then I realized I read that as a library book. And then I panicked because I remember someone has my copy of The Lover’s Dictionary and I can’t remember who so making this list actually caused great distress. WHERE IS MY COPY?? I know I own it but WHERE IS IT? And why do I not own Will Grayson, Will Grayson?? I audiobooked it but I think I need to own it.

Jane Austen: This didn’t actually surprise me at all! The next classic author I owned the most of was Hemingway with 3 books.

Rainbow Rowell: You know an author is a favorite if I own all their books. Rainbow is that kind of author for me. It would be 5 if you could my arc of Fangirl that I just can’t seem to part with…it’s signed but I never really keep arcs. BUT RAINBOW.

Morgan Matson: I had a BUNCH of authors I had 3 books for but I could only add one to the list so I decided to say Morgan Matson because she’s a favorite and any time I can mention Morgan is a good day. LOVE HER BOOKS!

So tell me…what authors do you own the most of?? Are there any authors you own A LOT of books from but haven’t read them (Like me with Jodi!!)